Overview
- Binder recounts that Steven Spielberg vetoed casting Ben Affleck in Man About Town at DreamWorks after objecting to him for both personal and professional reasons.
- He says Spielberg cited an alleged family-vacation episode in which Affleck threw his young son back into a pool, as well as concerns about Affleck’s recent box-office performance and public profile.
- Binder says he still pursued Affleck for the lead, after which DreamWorks dropped the project, leading him to make the movie independently with Media 8 and release it direct to DVD via Lionsgate in 2006.
- The story was told on Stephen Baldwin’s One Bad Movie podcast and has been reported by entertainment outlets as Binder’s anecdotal recollection rather than a confirmed account.
- Representatives for Spielberg and Affleck did not immediately comment, and Binder notes the pair publicly embraced at the 2013 Oscars when Affleck’s Argo won Best Picture over Spielberg’s Lincoln.